Swan's cash grab another boost for the coffers

WAYNE Swan's budget woes have come to undermine even the best of government intentions.

And he has nobody to blame but himself.

The proposal to pull forward the date for inactive accounts - that is bank accounts that have had no withdrawals or lodgments - from seven years to three years may have been done for the best of intentions.

With the Gillard government claiming it will make it easier for people to find their lost money and so that interest is paid on the lost cash - unlike with the banks.

But in the current political context it is hard to see this policy change, combined with a similar proposal covering lost superannuation accounts, as anything more than a cash grab.

Before the Treasurer finally threw in the towel just before Christmas and admitted a budget surplus was unattainable in 2013, he had been busy dreaming up every little way to bolster the government's coffers.

And this was just one of many policies aimed at delivering more money to Treasury.

The anger of Australians over this issue is understandable and fully justifiable. There was nothing wrong with the old system.

But the government in its wisdom decided to fiddle - as that is what you do while Rome burns.